Welcome to this regular meeting of the Okemos Board of Education held in public for the purpose of conducting the business of the school board.

There are two opportunities for public comment: Citizens who wish to address agenda or non-agenda items will have an opportunity at the beginning of the meeting, as well as near the end of the meeting. In-person individuals who wish to address the board must complete a blue form, located with the agendas near the room entrance, and present it to the board’s secretary prior to the start of the agenda item. Virtual participants must submit their name and address in a message through the chat box located in Zoom’s meeting controls prior to the start of the agenda item.  

At the appropriate point in the agenda, the board president will call upon individuals who have submitted a blue card or chat message and that individual’s microphone will be un-muted for their comments.

An opportunity for individual board members to highlight events, activities, and other items of interest.

At this time in the meeting, citizens have an opportunity to address the board regarding items of interest that that may or may not be part of the evening’s agenda.  Citizens are required to limit comments to three minutes, except when this requirement is waived by the board president during the meeting.  A designated timekeeper will communicate to the individual who is addressing the board at three minutes. The board highly values public comment and input; however, the board meeting format is designed to facilitate the evening’s agenda and, therefore, restricts board members from engaging in conversation with speakers or immediately responding to questions.  Questions and concerns may be addressed by the board later in the agenda and may be assigned for follow-up by the board or superintendent at a later date.

The high school student representatives will highlight events and issues of interest and take questions from the board.

District bond partners provided an update on summer 2026 projects funded by the 2022 bond and community donation.

The superintendent will highlight events and issues of interest and take questions from the board.

The board will acknowledge receipt of correspondence.
Individual board members may request follow-up on other matters of concern.
Board sub-committees may present their reports or deliver updates.

Within Action Items, there is a Consent Agenda to expedite the business of the board which groups a number of items together to be dealt with by one action of the board. However, items in the consent agenda may be extracted by individual board member request for further discussion or clarification.

In an effort to expedite the business of the board of education, but in no way meant to diminish the importance of each item, a Consent Agenda has been developed.

The Other Action Items require additional discussion prior to board action.

Each constituent school district has the opportunity to review and pass a resolution in support or non-support of the proposed annual Ingham Intermediate School District (IISD) general fund budget.

Bond partners from Christman and Executive Director of Operations Brian Lieber, provided an update regarding the 2022 bond, including bid package #5 award recommendations.

The board will recognize and express appreciation to the 2025-2026 Okemos High School Student Representatives to the School Board.

Discussion items are intended to provide an opportunity for review of material and interaction concerning the individual items.  Action is not taken during the board meeting.  Discussion items may be acted upon by the Board of Education at a later date. The board president may move a discussion item forward in the meeting agenda to facilitate timely discussion and/or community input on that discussion item.

Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Stacy Bailey will present the new textbook recommendations for 2026–2027. It is not assumed that funds will be available in the general fund to purchase textbooks. Recommendations include:

Elementary & Middle School Textbook Adoption Proposals

• K-5th Grade Math
• 7th-8th Grade ELA

High School Textbook Adoption Proposals

• Sports Literature
• AP Calculus
• Biology
• AP Microeconomics

Assistant Superintendent Bailey will present the proposed changes to the Okemos Public School District Student & Family Handbook for 2026-2027.

Executive Director of Finance Elizabeth Lentz will present information on the 2026-27 budget and preliminary budget projections. 

At this time in the meeting, citizens have an opportunity to address the board regarding any item(s) of interest. Individual comments at this time will be limited to three minutes but may be extended at the discretion of the board president.  A designated timekeeper will communicate to the individual who is addressing the board at three minutes.  The board highly values public comment; however, our meeting format does not allow the board to engage in conversation with speakers.  Questions or concerns may be assigned for follow-up by the board or the administration at a later date.
 

The board will enter into a work session for the purpose of engaging with Laura Hilger, who will lead discussion of Portrait of a Learner. This is a shared vision for the skills educators need to drive innovation and lead education systems change through personalized, competency-based learning.

 

Portrait of a Learner presented by Laura Hilger